The American Revolution

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The American Revolution
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Comparison of Belligerents

• Britain America
• Goals keep colonies independence
• Strategy occupy rebel wear out the
• lands enemy, attrition
• end ability of get an ally
• rebel army to fight
• Tactics large battles strategic defense
• control ports cities improvise

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Advantages - Britain

• population (10-12 M)
• Revenue
• Government structure
• Excellent navy/professional army
• Loyalists

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Advantages - America

• Washington
• large territory/own home field
• no strategic heart
• easier task to accomplish
• sense of cause
• Dual army professional militia
• Tactics fit needs
• Able to improvise
• French Alliance

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Disadvantages Britain

• distance
• Hard task to accomplish
• Balance of Power concerns
• Balance of Weakness Maslowski
• internal power struggles in Parliament
• no great war leader emerges
• loss of support over time

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Disadvantages - Americans

• limited revenue
• no real government
• no navy, small army with ltd training
• still divided/civil war
• profiteering
• sometimes undependable militia
• supplies

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Military Phases

• Phase one1775-1776 Northern
• Prior to declaration New England, localized
• Lexington/Concord Bunker Hill

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Northern Phase
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Military Phases

• Phase two 1776-1778 Middle Colonies
• most significant for the British maximum
  effort/minimum gain
• New York City 1776 NY and Philadelphia occupied
  by 1777
• Trenton and Princeton December of 1776 and
  January 1777
• Valley Forge winter 1777-1778
• Br alienates civilians
• Saratoga October 17,1777 French Alliance
• critical to American success

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Middle Phase
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Washington at Valley Forge
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Saratoga
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Military Phases

• Phase three1779-1783 Southern
• Virginia and Carolinas hope for more Loyalist
  support
• guerrilla warfare and militia essential here
• more revolutionary phase of the war
• Kings Mountain and Cowpens Greene splits
  forces
• Yorktown October of 1781 ends parliamentary
  will to fight

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Southern Phase
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Greene Marion
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Yorktown
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Treaty of Paris 1783

• Jay, Adams, Franklin make a separate peace
• Beneficial treaties w/ France
• Terms Treaty of Paris
• Independence
• Defines territory
• Fishing rights
• Br merchants can collect pre war debt
• Compensation for loyalists

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Treaty of Paris 1783
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Role in the War

• Women
• Maintained home front, farms, businesses
• African Americans
• Fought for which ever side promised freedom
• 20 Continental Army 55,000 escaped
• Indians
• Generally neutral
• Outcome created greater pressure on land
• Loyalists -most of average means
• Feared disorder, anarchy
• 20 or more 100,000 110,000 left

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Assessment Why can Americans Win? Goals
Accomplished.

• French alliance balance of weakness- Br had
  larger global concerns
• Washington and use of strategic defense
• Dual army professional and militia
• No strategic heart huge territory
• Sense of cause

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How radical was the revolution?

• Degree of change
• Who rules?
• Republican ideals
• Who is left out?